6d ago

I finally got my Minimal Phone. Ask me anything

Ordered an MP back in June for the July batch and finally received it today. Loving it so far even though it's got a few quirks.

(The Minimal is the e-ink phone with the QWERTY keyboard).

I've been using a dumb phone for a while now and didn't want to go back to a full smartphone, so this seemed like a decent compromise.

Probably the biggest annoyance I've noticed is the Alt and Shift buttons being in illogical places and wishing those were reversed.

And yes I made this post on it and am aware of the irony 😆

13 comments

An e-ink phone, you say?
Question #1 would have to be about responsiveness.
- Pretty slow but usable. Definitely some input lag when typing but not terrible. You can tell it processes much faster than it can update the screen.
  I guess to put it in a frame of reference, the eink refresh is a bit faster than my Kobo.
I've had my Lightphone 3 for about a month now, and I have been really enjoying it. (I pre-ordered it wayyyy back when it was $399, I wouldn't have paid any more than that)
I've been on my "dumbphone" journey for almost 3 years now. It's been the best change I've made in my life in a LONG time.
I met someone this weekend who was carrying a pager... I immediately went to go investigate (well, immediately when I got home, because I can't search anything on my phone), spurred on by exciting visions of becoming even LESS connected... but was disappointed at how expensive it was (Like $10-20 per month, which isn't a TON, but I only pay $15/mo for my cell service).
I was originally wanting something like the minimal, able to do some smart-stuff... But the more I lived without the smart-stuff, the more I realized I didn't really need it. The only thing that's really inconvenient is the lack of the commuter rail app to buy train tickets (they introduced a $3 fee on top of a $12 ticket for not using the app, the bastards), and the lack of a ticket wallet for concerts that don't have printable tickets... But considering one of the only times I take the train is to go to concerts in the city, and also I wouldn't want to take my fancy Lightphone to a concert anyway (I'm a mosher), I will just hold onto my beat-up old smartphone (scuffed and dented from being flung from pockets in many-a-pit) and swap the SIM whenever I'm headed to throw down.
Do you find yourself tempted to go back to doomscrolling? Even years into my journey, I'd find myself re-enabling chrome to go scroll Reddit or something if I was in a bad mood... Not having that option has been really nice, forcing myself to deal with the moment in (probably healthier) different ways.
- I've been on my "dumbphone" journey for almost 3 years now. It's been the best change I've made in my life in a LONG time.
  Same but only about a year myself and took a good 2 or 3 months to wean off having stupid apps for everything.
  My flip phone did have a decent browser so i could look up random stuff when needed, though mostly it was calls, texts, and hotspot for my laptop.
  I got this one for $399 too and like you said that's about the most I would pay for it. Haven't moved my SIM card over yet but will as soon as I finish setting it up to my liking.
  Do you find yourself tempted to go back to doomscrolling?
  At first, yeah, but not after I weaned off my old smartphone. Using a flip phone for a year kind of forced my hand. On the few occasions I put my SIM back in my smartphone, it was for a specific mission (almost always for work), and I didn't have time or inclination to doom scroll. When I was finished, the SIM went back into the flip.
  Glad I'm not the only one digging the low tech lifestyle lol.
  
  I tried for a while to dumb down my existing smartphone, but I just didn't have the drive at first.
  It was actually the Cat S22 flip that I found and instantly latched onto that really helped me wean off instagram, reddit, etc. It ran full Android, so you COULD do those things, but the experience on the tiny-ass screen and slow processor made the experience piss poor. I rocked that brick for almost 2 years. I eventually got to the point where I was no longer using the apps on it, just calling, texting, using the calendar, etc. I was tired of having such a thick device in my pocket, so tested going back to a dumbed-down smartphone, and had no problem (most of the time).
  My other big hurdle at the moment is listening to music. I've been a spotify premium member for a long time, and my music library has continued to exist, but my music taste has changed and evolved over the last half a decade, so it's missing a lot of what I want to listen to. I've been meaning to get away from Spotify, but it was just so convenient! Not having it has forced my hand, and now I need to do something about it, so hopefully soon I can get my jam on.
  Low-tech is the way to go. I've gotten really into digital cameras from the 90's, and carry at least one (of the many that I now have) around with me for taking photos. I've got a pile of old beige desktop computers to support the ones that need proprietary software, and also have a nice stash of old "offline" softwares like MS word, photoshop, CAD, etc. that I have access to if the internet ever implodes lol
Been really interested in this and/or the Light Phone! I'm curious if your plan is to use it as a full-time daily driver? Or an occasional "I want to disconnect right now" thing?
I really wish carriers made it easy to swap where your phone number is pointed because I would love one of these for weekend/evening use. But I'm pretty intimidated to switch full time.
Would also love to see a follow up in a few months to see if you found it sustainable.
- For the past year my daily driver has been an Android-based flip phone that just does the bare minimum smart stuff, and I love it lol.
  Hate to give up the flip, but yeah, plan is to daily drive the Minimal as its successor since it's getting old and there's nothing else close to it I can buy. Probably going to wait a few more days before committing as I'm still getting this one setup/configured the way I like it (it takes a while lol). If nothing else, it's a cool secondary device I can tether to my flip phone and use as a mini e-ink tablet.
  I really wish carriers made it easy to swap where your phone number is pointed because I would love one of these for weekend/evening use. But I'm pretty intimidated to switch full time.
  I move my SIM card around and swap devices like people change shoes 😎. Sometimes I know I'll need the full smartphone, most days I don't (or if I'm camping, I'll throw my SIM in my rugged smartphone). I'm not sure if eSIMs make that easier or harder (or no difference), but it's nice to just physically move the card and be on my way.
  Would also love to see a follow up in a few months to see if you found it sustainable.
  Will do!
  
  eSIMs definitely make it harder...
  Still, I get closer and closer every day to taking the plunge. My smartphone is pretty stripped down without any social media or games, etc. But it is still more distracting than I would prefer.
  Thanks for sharing this, I really like seeing the methods of how some people are coping with today's distraction hellscape.
- I've been rocking my Lightphone 3 for a month as my full-time daily driver, with no companion device (Well, I have a Boox palma, but I only read on it, don't have any need for its other features/apps)
  If I would have went straight from my previous normal of being super connected and addicted to my phone to where I'm at now, I wouldn't have been able to swing it. It's taken me almost 3 years of slow progress to be able to just fully ditch the smart stuff. Just start slow, keep on it, and you'll get there eventually is you really want to.
  And all you have to do to move where your number points is to swap the SIM card. It takes only a coupe seconds. I still have my old smartphone that I pop the SIM into when I go to concerts so I don't break/lose my various dumb devices I've had over the years. The Lightphone 3 doesn't support eSim yet, though it's on the roadmap somewhere. It might be an idea to get a cheap smartphone that can use a regular SIM. Especially if it's a really low-tier device, you'll be able to use it, but the poor performance might push you to ditch the apps faster.

13 comments